Death of Peradeniya University student and sex abuse – the story unfolds (update)

The lifeless body that was found hanging from a tree within the premises of the University of Peradeniya has been identified by the victim’s relatives.

According to the police, the victim is the lead witness in a ragging incident that is believed to have taken place at the University of Peradeniya.

The body of university student D.K. Nishantha was discovered hanging from tree in a shrubbery area located not far from the Marcus Fernando Boys’ Hostel at the University of Peradeniya on Monday evening

Our correspondent who visited the location on Tuesday said that the victim was hanging from a branch of an Attonia tree and the gap between the surface and the victims feet were around 9 inches.

The Police said that the wallet of the deceased, two mobile-phones and a pair of footwear were discovered at the location.

Acting Magistrate of Kandy, Ajith Prasantha Dharmaprema visited the location on Tuesday morning and conducted the magisterial inquiry. Subsequently, the body was taken to the Medical Faculty at the University.

Twenty-four-year-old D.K. Nishantha was a resident from the Kadduwa area in Matara and was the second in a family of three.

Despite many financial difficulties he obtained three A passes at the Advanced Level Examination that enabled him to gain admission to the Arts Faculty at the University of Peradeniya in 2011.

K.D.Nishanta enrolled at the University of Peradeniya on October 17, 2011, however, he engaged in academic activities only for a period of three weeks. This was because he and one of his friends were victims of ragging by senior students at the university.

The ragging was so intense that both victims had to be admitted to hospital. As his university education came to an abrupt stop, D.K. Nishantha made his way to his uncle’s home in Biyagama , Malwana and was employed as an cargo container operator’s assistant.

According to the relatives Nishantha had left his home in Malwana on January 26 saying that he was going to Kandy. On January 27, Nishantha has made a phone call to his girlfriend, believed to be a resident of Anuradhapura, and had said that he was in Kandy.

The girlfriend of the victim is also believed to be a student of the University of Peradeniya. According to the relatives , they never heard from D.K. Nishantha after January 28.

On January 29 , relatives decided to file a complaint with the Biyagama Police. They filed a complaint with the Peradeniya Police once again on February 6. Last evening the lifeless body of Nishantha was discovered two weeks after his disappearance.

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New information has come to light on the unidentified body found on Monday, at the premises of the Peradeniya University.

The body which was found hanging on a tree was identified by the relatives of the deceased as that of a student of the Peradiniya University.

According to the police, the deceased had been a witness to the alleged sexual abuse of his friend by several other students inside the dorm. The police stated that since the time of the alleged sex abuse case which had occurred in 2010, the student had not attended university.

The deceased had been a resident of Agunukolapelessa. The police suspect that the student had committed suicide.